James Jeffrey
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey said Monday that Washington’s support for armed groups in northern Syria was temporary.
The U.S.’s relationship with the SDF -- a group spearheaded by the YPG/PKK terrorist group – is "tactical" and "transactional", Jeffrey said in a speech at the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C.-based think-tank
"We don’t have permanent relations with sub-state entities," he said, adding the U.S. supported the SDF with the specific goal of fighting against Daesh.
The U.S. has been working alongside the YPG/PKK in Syria in an effort to eliminate Daesh from the region.
Ankara views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the PKK, a designated terrorist group in Turkey, the EU and the U.S.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
Turkey supports an anticipated UN plan to form a commission on Syria to rewrite the war-torn country's constitution, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday."We have opened a final window of opportunity for a political solution in Syria," Çavuşoğlu told Turkey’s parliament in a speech laying out Ankara’s foreign policy priorities.Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others have been displaced, according to UN officials.Reiterating Turkey’s resolve to fight terrorist organizations, including the PKK and YPG, Çavuşoğlu underlined that Ankara had never taken Kurds as an enemy.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.Sinjar won’t be new PKK stronghold: Turkish DefMinFurther Cyprus talks to depend on parameters Stating that the Greek Cypriot side did not cooperate with Turkey’s efforts to reach an agreement on the eastern Mediterranean island, Cavusoglu stressed that Ankara would henceforth enter negotiations only after the "parameters and framework" of talks were determined.He emphasized that Turkey’s continued presence in Cyprus as a guarantor was a prerequisite for a potential deal.Cyprus has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and Britain collapsing last year.The UN has sought a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict.Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.Noting that Turkey’s position remains clear on hydrocarbon drilling around Cyprus, Çavuşoğlu said the Turkish Armed Forces would continue to take all necessary measures in the eastern Mediterranean.In early 2018, the Greek Cypriot administration unilaterally launched exploratory drilling activities for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean despite strong opposition from Turkish Cypriots, who argue that the island's natural resources should be exploited jointly to ensure equal rights for both parties.Video: Turkey may start new Syria operation at any moment, Erdoğan says
‘Turkey would back UN plan for new Syrian constitution’
The National Liberation Front (NLF), an umbrella of anti-regime opposition groups in Syria’s northwestern city of Idlib, said Monday that it would support planned Turkish military operation east of the Euphrates River.It also voiced readiness to confront the YPG/PKK terrorist group.“By allowing sectarian militias into the country, the Assad regime has tried to alter Syria's demographic composition,” the NLF said in a statement."The regime has created a suitable environment for terrorist groups, including the PKK/PYD/YPG, to the detriment of the Syrian people,” the organization added.Turkish, Russian, Iranian FMs to meet in Geneva on SyriaTurkish, Syrian children build friends through footballThe Assad regime, it went on to assert, “has turned Syria into a playground for rival regional powers”.The NLF also warned that “certain parties” were actively working to derail planned Turkish military operation east of the Euphrates."We will support any operation aimed at ensuring regional stability, ending the terrorist presence, and allowing the return of displaced persons to their homes,” the NLF statement read.It added: “We will not allow any group -- be it the PKK/YPG or anyone else -- to divide our country.”In May, 11 different Syrian opposition groups joined forces in the northwestern city of Idlib under the banner of the NLF.Turkey may start new Syria operation at any moment, Erdoğan saysSyrian regime forced 130,000 to leave homes in 2018On Sunday, the U.S. warned opposition groups linked to the Free Syrian Army against supporting anticipated Turkish operation east of the Euphrates River.On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that operation could begin "at any moment", asserting that Turkey would never allow a “terror corridor” to be set up along its border.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.According to UN figures, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict to date.Pentagon hands over Syria observation posts to PKK/PYD ahead of Turkish op
Syrian opposition to back Turkish ops east of Euphrates